Monday, 29 April 2013

South Gloucestershire Council's Road Safety Team and Avon
& Somerset Police are carrying out free child car seat safety checks
today (Monday 29 April) between 8.30am and 4pm at the Fire Station on
Station Road, Yate.

So far 44 seats have been checked and 8 out of 10
were found to require adjustment. Similar events will be held in South
Gloucestershire between June and August.

You have until 29 June to fill it in. If you know people who would like
to respond but who aren't online, hard copies will be available at the
Travel Shop in Bristol Bus Station from the end of April. First Bus have
also organised some events where people can have their say in person:

Monday, 15 April 2013

2 Free ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) courses starting in May:

English and Life in the Community – for those who have limited English language skills
and need to improve their speaking and listening skills
The Armadillo, 10am-12noon, 10 sessions, 8th May-17th July 2013

English for Work – for those who are more confident with English but need to improve
their skills for job seeking and the workplace
The Armadillo, 1pm-3pm, 10 sessions, 8th May-17th July 2013

There will be an assessment and enrolment session at Yate Library
on Tuesday 30th April from 2-4pm. Please come along - pre-enrolment is essential
Please attend if you want to enrol on either course.

South Gloucestershire Council is currently planning the 2013 Discover
Festival which will take place 12th September to 1st November 2013. The first Discover Festival in 2012
saw over 6,000 people attending 186 events across the local area and
had themes around heritage, food, nature, arts, health and wellbeing,
and also special events for people aged 50+. The Festival is organised
by South Gloucestershire Council working in partnership with community
groups and businesses.

For this year’s festival the council is inviting businesses, community
groups or organisations to organise an open day, a talk, a walk, a
taster session or a performance to promote their group or area to allow
them to showcase their work and encourage new members to join. Previous
examples of events at Discover include food tasting sessions, drawing
classes, history talks, nature walks, workshops on tracing your family
tree, and an open day at a local brewery.

Sunday, 14 April 2013

Every year there are several pollution incidents in South
Gloucestershire caused by faulty or badly maintained domestic heating
oil pipes and tanks. Leaked oil can be very difficult and expensive to
clean up. In some circumstances residents have had to move out of their
houses for months because of the fumes from leaked oil.

The Environmental Protection team at South Glos has a leaflet online that gives advice on how to prevent an oil leak, what to do if you find a leak and the law relating to tanks and spillages.

You have until 15th May to have your say on the draft Health and
Wellbeing Strategy for South Gloucestershire. This is the document that
will set out the priorities to make sure that local health and care
services meet the needs of local people in the coming years.

The draft strategy includes priorities such as health and care providers
making it easier for people to make healthy lifestyle choices, for
example by providing advice on stopping smoking or taking more exercise.
It also highlights the fact that health is generally poorer in some
parts of South Glos than others.

South Gloucestershire Council has set up a new grants programme to
encourage young people to
participate in positive activities across South Gloucestershire.
At the recent area forums, money was awarded to support work at a number
of existing youth clubs in the area. The remaining money will be
allocated at meetings later in the year.

Funding from the Positive Activities Subsidy Grants Programme is
available for organisations working with young people aged 13 to 19
years old (or up to 25 years old for young people with learning
difficulties and disabilities).
Priority will be given to:

Organisations who can demonstrate that young people have been involved in the decision making process and
in selecting activities

Applications from young people who may experience additional
barriers to accessing positive activities. The council would like to
encourage applications from young people from different equality groups

Quartet Community Foundation has been appointed by the Council to manage and administer fund.
Applications forms can be downloaded from their web site.
When applying for a grant you also need to include:

A copy of your organisation’s constitution or set of rules

A copy of your organisation’s most recent accounts or financial information

A list of the names and addresses of the management committee

A copy of your child protection policy if you work with children and young people

For further information and a full set of funding criteria please contact Quartet Community Foundation on
0117 989 7700 or visit www.quartetcf.org.uk

Thursday, 11 April 2013

A quick plug for a charity fundraising football match on Saturday week (20th April) in aid of local anti-bullying charity BullyWatch: "There will be a Community Shield football Match on 20th April at Yate Town Football club between our local clubs Dodington FC and Cesson FC 3pm kick off. There will be a raffle and auction and everyone is welcome. The cost will be £2.00 on the gate". Well done to Julie Oakley for organising.

Update: This event raised £650 for BullyWatch. And the final score? Dodington FC 3, Cesson FC 2. Well done to all concerned!

Himalayan Balsam is an extremely invasive weed that is threatening parts of the Frome Valley Walkway and other areas. It smothers our native flowers and causes erosion and flooding.

Big Pull community workdays are being planned this June/July to remove it from the Walkway between Station Road and Goose Green Community Nature Area in Yate. This tenacious invasive plant is currently just on the edge of Goose Green and we are very keen to prevent it spreading into the Community Nature Area and further along the River Frome.

This summer's workdays are Saturdays 1, 15, 29 June and 13 July from 10am to 1pm, meeting at the far end of Celestine Road, Yate, BS37 5HB. All ages are welcome. Gloves, free refreshments and snacks are provided. there is no need to book. Long sleeved clothing advised and sun cream and a hat if the weather is hot.

The Big Pull work days are being organised by the South Gloucestershire Council Wild4life Project and Avon Invasive Weeds Project. If you are part of an organisation or group interested in being involved in a workday on an alternative day they would love to hear from you - please ring 01454 863556.

The Governing body of Chipping Sodbury School is consulting on a
proposed change of category from a Voluntary Controlled to a Foundation
school, and at the same time acquiring a co-operative charitable trust,
to be called the Chipping Sodbury School Co-operative Trust. You can find out more and have your say on their website.

This year the council is saving money by not including a printed council tax guide in every council tax bill. Instead you can find it online or you can write to the council or call 01454 868003 for a printed copy.

Are you a voluntary group working in South Gloucestershire? Do you serve your local community to make their lives better? And would a small grant from South Gloucestershire Council help you do it?

All these grants are designed for volunteer groups that want to develop projects and provide activities that meet local needs. They can include art and culture, children and play, community safety, developing communities, enhancing the natural and built environment, learning activities, promoting equality and tackling poverty, sports, and supporting vulnerable people.

The Capital Grants have no lower limit and you can apply for up to £3000.

If you would like to apply for funding, applications can be made from Monday 29 April 2013. You have 6 weeks to apply (closing date is 10 June 2013) - lots of help is available.

Applications can be made online at the Council’s grants web page as soon as the scheme opens. Yopu are welcome to phone the Grants Helpline on 01454-865865 for an informal chat.

Monday, 8 April 2013

The owners of Yate Shopping Centre have announced a consultation on plans for a cinema complex on the land at the back of the Overflow Car Park. At a press conference with Steve Webb MP - a long-term campaigner for the cinema - proposals were revealed for a six-screen cinema complex, six restaurants and three or four shop units. There will be extra parking spaces, and over 150 jobs will be created.

The plans will be presented to Yate Town Council this week, and then they will be put on display in one of the shop units in the Shopping Centre. The public will be able to come along and quiz the developers about the scheme.

Once any fine-tuning has been done there will be a formal planning application. If all goes well the cinema could be open by Christmas 2014 or Easter 2015.

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LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

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